Stories From the Other Universe
by Diana Leto
Summary: In the E2 universe the stories of the generations of the Enterprise. Each story is a one-shot meant to relate a story of one of the descendants of the original crew.
1. The Cry of the Death Beetle

Story 1: The Cry of the Death Beetle

_Author's Note: In this set of stories Trip and T'Pol have not one but two children. Charlotte T'Mir is the eldest and Lorian Malcolm. Charlotte is six years older than Lorian and has taken the position vacated by Malcolm Reed on his untimely death during an altercation with some disgruntled traders (thus his unmarried state)._

_Now to the story._

* * *

The soft rumble of the deck plating beneath his feet let him know that the engine was running smoothly. The_ thud thud thud_ of children running through the corridor made him smile. If you had told Trip twenty-five years ago that this ship would become a generational ship he would have told you it was impossible. The quarters weren't big enough, the medical bay wasn't built for childbirth, there weren't any classrooms, and space, plain and simple, is just too dangerous for children. Now that it _is_ a generational ship, his own children having been born and raised on _Enterprise_, Trip couldn't really imagine it any other way. The mess hall was his ultimate destination but he wanted to swing by engineering to make sure that his newest officer was handling things well. When Travis approached him about letting his son Paul intern in engineering he wasn't too sure it would work out. Paul is only thirteen, still older than when Charlotte began taking bridge shifts but still, he was a little too impulsive for Trip's liking. As he entered engineering he saw his newest charge standing at the intake manifold monitoring the ratings as Commander Hess gave him a tutorial.

Hess looked up briefly and made eye contact. Trip nodded and made his way out of engineering. Now that engineering looked to be doing well coffee was his main concern. Pulling triple shifts was for the young and Trip was still reluctant to admit he no longer belonged to that number. As he entered the mess he looked around, searching for his daughter. He saw her sitting at the corner table talking to Marcus Phlox. Trip grabbed a cup of steaming coffee and headed their way.

"So," he said as he approached the side of the table, "you guys got room for one more?" He smiled down at the table noticing how Marcus immediately got uncomfortable. _Oh yeah, he likes her. This could get interesting._ He fought the urge to smirk at what new bit of information he had just picked up. Charlottes piercing green eyes met his pale blue and she smiled.

"Sure daddy, we were just talking about the experiment in engineering we have scheduled today. Marcus was trying to convince me that it would be safer for me to monitor on the bridge instead of in engineering. He said that way someone would be away from any explosions or malfunctions who has the engineering understanding to explain it to the rest of the ship." She brushed her long brown hair behind her shoulder and leveled an unhappy glare at Marcus.

Trip chuckled and then really thought about Marcus's suggestion. He put his tongue into his right cheek and moved it around. "Ya know Lotty, it's not a bad idea." _Even if it is purely selfish on Marcus's part._ "Maybe you should monitor from the bridge. You can tie all of the engineering feeds into the science station and use the internal sensor array to keep an eye on things."

Charlotte looked at her father in disbelief. "Are you serious? You don't want me on hand in engineering?"

Trip looked at his daughter. She was a remarkable engineer and he could probably use her help but he also wanted to keep her safe. "Listen Little Elf, I want you monitoring things, if something starts to go wrong, you'll be the first to know and you can stop it. I trust you with that."

She nodded silently and picked up her glass of iced tea. Trip looked over to Marcus who had the face of the triumphant warrior. Trip downed his coffee and stood up. "Alright, I'm heading to engineering. Talk to you later Elf." He rubbed his hand on the top of her head causing her soft waves to become messy. She just looked up at him, no reprimand on her tongue and smiled.

"See you later daddy."

* * *

Her back was turned to him. Her skin tight maroon catsuit left very little to the imagination and he wondered just how long it was until someone asked her to stop. He could hardly believe Trip let her dress like that. Jonathan Archer pulled his overprotective gaze from his goddaughter and looked once again at the view screen.

"Henry," he spoke to his son at the helm. "Increase to Warp 5." Henry nodded silently, his black hair shining in the lighting of the bridge. He began depressing buttons on the console and Jon could feel the ship increase in speed beneath him. He looked over to Charlotte who was monitoring the experiment at the science station. She had the look of intense concentration that Trip got when working on a new engineering problem. Lotty was one of the older children on the ship, being 20, but Jon couldn't help but think of her as that little five year old elf running through the halls chasing after Henry. They had grown up so quickly, he could hardly believe so much time had passed sense they were thrown back in time. "Lotty, what's our progress?"

She looked up and in that moment she looked just like her mother, except for the eyes. "All readings are nominal Captain. I-" She stopped, her console was beeping. She began to rapidly press buttons and a look of confusion settled on her lovely features. "I'm reading an increase in radiation." She whirled around, her back to Jon as she read more reading. "Sir, I would suggest coming out of warp."

Jon nodded and was about to give the order when he felt the whole ship lurch. He looked over to Lotty and felt his breath catch in his throat. She had a look of fear and pain on her face. "Lotty?" She didn't respond. "Ensign Tucker!" He head snapped up. "Report."

Lotty nodded slowly trying to find her voice. "There's been an explosion in engineering, D Deck is venting atmosphere. I'm reading three less life signs." She was rapidly pressing buttons as she made her report. "Triage teams are on their way. Reports of minor injuries throughout the ship, twenty wounded none critical, one dead in sciences, and two dead in engineering. Damage Control teams are on site." Her voice was shaky.

Jon nodded. "Okay, keep me appraised. Try and figure out what went wrong."

"Yes sir."

* * *

_"Phlox to Ensign Tucker."_

Charlotte slowly looked over to the comm button on the science station. She looked up and made eye contact with Henry and then with Jon. She took a steadying breath and pressed the button. "Tucker here. How can I help you Doc?"

His tone was solemn but Charlotte wanted desperately to think that it was simply because of the accident in general and not because he was calling her. _"Please come to sickbay immediately."_

Charlotte could feel the lump growing in her throat. "On my way." She looked up to Jon who had a worried expression on his face. "Permission to- to leave the bridge sir."

Jon nodded sadly. "Permission granted." Charlotte stood and entered the turbolift, every possible scenario playing out in her mind. Two dead in engineering and one in sciences. Her parents were in both of those departments, they could be hurt, dead.

She exited the turbolift and headed to sickbay. As the sickbay door slid open the overwhelming feeling of fear hit her. There were bodies littering the floor and the smell of blood met her sensitive nose. She searched for Phlox and saw him standing near one of the curtained off areas where she could only assume the fatally wounded were. She hoped with all of her might that whatever awaited her wasn't behind one of those curtains.

Phlox turned and saw her, he motioned her forward and into the curtained area. Her mother was standing next to a biobed, her brother Lorian standing silently at her side. Green blood painted the side of her mothers pained face. Charlotte looked down at the biobed and felt as though the ship was suddenly too small and too big at the same time. She stumbled forward and grabbed the proffered hand of her father.

Her voice was broken from tears when she spoke. "Daddy. Oh Daddy, please, please be okay." The tears were overwhelming. She could feel the warm tears as they silently ran down her cheeks. She hadn't cried since she was Lorian's age. She looked up and saw her fourteen year old brother, trying as hard as he could to hold onto his Vulcan control. Charlotte looked down at the burned and broken body of her father and held his blue-eyed gaze. She promised to herself then and there that she would never allow this to happen to her brother. She would protect Lorian with her very life.

"Trip," Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut tight when she heard her mother speak with such obvious pain. "do not leave me. You cannot leave me." Her father turned his head and smiled at his wife. He reached up slowly with a burned and battered arm and cupped her cheek. Her mother leaned into it and allowed a single tear to run down her cheek. "I love you Trip."

The sound of the heart monitor screaming out became but a dull sound to her ears. It was but the cry of the death beetle. Charlotte looked down and tried to force the image of her smiling father from the morning into the place of the smoke stained body in front of her.

* * *

The turbolift doors slid open and a shocked Charlotte stumbled out of it and towards the science console. Every eye on the bridge watched her. The stains of tears were still on her cheeks and her face was pale. She began working at the station, running numb hands over the console trying with all her might to being some normalcy to her world.

She could feel a presence standing in front of her but she didn't lift her eyes or stop her work. The muffled voice of her captain and uncle barely reached her ears. She kept working, trying to bring meaning to the death of her father and the two others. She hadn't even bothered to ask who else had died. She was startled out of her silent work when a warm hand fell onto her shoulder. She looked to her left and met the sad eyes of Uncle Jon, not Captain Archer.

"Lotty, why don't you go back to your quarters?" His voice was quiet, soothing. He was trying to reason with her. Nothing had ever made her more furious.

"I don't want to go back!" She fumed. "I can't go back. Lorian is crying, he won't stop. Mom," she took a steadying breath. "Mom is falling apart, just staring into space. If I go to my quarters I'm going to go crazy. I just need to work Uncle Jon." She could feel the tears coming again. "Please just let me work." Jon grabbed her and held her tight in a hug.

"Lotty, I don't think your dad would want you here now. He'd want you in your quarters with your mom and brother." Lotty pulled away.

She blankly looked at him and turned back to her console. "He doesn't want anything anymore. He isn't alive. He doesn't breath, eat, think. He isn't anything anymore. He's just a body in sickbay. He's dead, that's it. He'll never want anything ever again."

* * *

Charlotte stood silently between her mother and her brother. The torpedo casing that held the charred body of her father slid out of the tubing and into space. Lotty couldn't imagine how her life would ever be normal again. She reached down and grabbed Lorian's hand. They stood there together, holding hands, trying to hold on to what they had left of their father.


	2. New Beginnings

Story 2: New Beginnings

The bridge was completely silent, the corridors held that deserted feeling, and the Mess Hall felt unused and forgotten. The only sounds drifting through the ship were emanating from Cargo Bay 1.

"Alright everyone, settle down." Malcolm Reed stood in front of the amassed crew attempting to calm them down for Captain Archer's announcement. The soft murmurings of the crew died down and silence once again reigned throughout the ship. Jon stepped forward and took Malcolm's place with a brief nod of the head and a clap to the back of his armory officer.

"I stand before you with a heavy heart." Jon paused to gather himself. He had practiced a dozen different ways to make this announcement and none of them seemed to be enough. He decided to just tell them, no sugar coating, no hand holding. "Our recent trip through the subspace corridor has brought us back in time. We've been thrown out of our own time by 120 years. As of this moment I am revoking all non-fraternization rules. That being said, use discretion and this should not interfere with regular duties. It is going to be up to our descendants to save Earth. We're a family now, in more ways than one. Although our time has changed our mission has not. Though it will fall to our children and our children's children we cannot allow ourselves to become relaxed in our duties. Our most important aspect of the mission now is to form alliances with other species to ensure our continued safety in the Expanse. Have hope, we may yet prevent the initial attack that brought us into the Expanse. Dismissed." Jon and the Senior Staff moved out of the Cargo Bay in a large group. The questions and exclamations of the rest of the crew went unheeded by them.

* * *

_One Month Later_

Jon ran a shaky hand across his tired eyes. "Report." He looked over to T'Pol who was holding a PADD in her hands. She looked fatigued but Jon let it pass, everyone on the Senior Staff had been pulling triple shifts and it was beginning to wear them down.

T'Pol cleared her throat. "We have received reports of altercations in the mess hall. It would seem the fraternization among the crew has not been met with the same calm we had hoped for. The crew is only one third female and the male crew are making efforts to impress their female crew mates." Jon sighed.

"Alright, we'll make a ship wide announcement letting them know that such behavior won't be tolerated." T'Pol nodded. Jon looked over to Phlox. "Doctor?"

Phlox smiled brightly at them. "Yes well, it would seem as good a time as any to make this little announcement. Corporal Price is three months pregnant." The shocked expressions on the faces of the crew were accompanied by the sounds of the air being quickly sucked into the lungs of those present.

The Captain furrowed his brow. "Three months?" Phlox nodded. "It would seem the MACO's weren't following frat. regs. before we were thrown back. I can't exactly be angry now but- who's the father?"

Phlox shifted slightly in his seat, he felt as though he was turning in a friend for doing something bad. "Corporal Chang." Phlox decided to continue with his report, hoping to quell the anger the Captain was clearly fighting with. "With Commander Tucker's assistance sickbay has been retrofitted with the necessary equipment and facilities for obstetrics. The supplies we received from the Maracan traders proved to be very useful."

The Captain nodded. "Good. Keep me informed of all of the pregnancies." Phlox made to protest but Jon held up a silencing hand. "Doctor, that information is necessary for the continued success of this mission. I need to know." Phlox nodded in acceptance. "Trip?"

Trip stood up and walked over to the display screen on the wall. "I've been looking at all of the schematics trying to figure out living arrangements. We should convert Cargo Bay 4 into a classroom, we can even separate the different age groups if need be." He pressed buttons displaying his revised plan for the ship. "As people start, uh, pairing up, we can begin combining quarters. Some of the crewmen are already hot racking it so those living situations will be more difficult to rearrange. The quartermaster has already received requests from several people for a change of rooms. My engineering teams are manufacturing larger beds and we can begin working on cribs. So far it doesn't look like it will be impossible to turn _Enterprise_ into a generational ship. Travis has really taken the lead on this one." Trip motioned over to the Ensign who was currently blushing.

Jon nodded. He could feel the fatigue setting in and he knew he needed to sleep. "Sounds good. Why don't you all take the next two days off?" He didn't know what surprised him more, the fact that he made this suggestion himself without Phlox pushing him, or that none of his staff fought him on it. Everyone left quietly and headed for bed.

* * *

Trip sat up straight on the edge of T'Pol's bed waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom. "T'Pol, I told you that it's fine. You need sleep, I need sleep. I can always come back another time." He looked up at the sound of the bathroom door sliding open.

T'Pol emerged dressed in her normal sleeping attire. "Do not be ridiculous, neuropressure will assist both of us in sleeping tonight. There is no logic in rescheduling something designed to help us in a situation like this. Now please," she motioned to the meditation mats on the floor, "take your position and we will begin." She knelt down on her own mat and waited for Trip to take off his shirt and kneel facing her.

He just sighed and began taking off his shirt. "Fine, but at least leave me with enough energy to make it back to my own quarters." T'Pol nodded. She had no intention of letting him return to his quarters. Her bed was larger and closer, it was only logical that he sleep here, in her quarters. It would not be the first time, nor the last if past experience were anything to judge by.

They began going through the normal postures, T'Pol could feel the tension leaving her body. Fatigue was settling over her and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She could see that Trip was struggling as well but he was stubbornly trying to keep his eyes open.

His sleepy voice broke through the silence that had enveloped them. "T'Pol, you said you wouldn't keep me here tonight." He was swaying and was fighting back sleep. He was obviously losing.

T'Pol raised a tired eyebrow at him. "Trip, just lay down on my bed. It is illogical for you to travel to your own quarters when I have a bed here that you can use."

Trip scrunched his face in confusion. "What? You want me to sleep here?"

T'Pol stood slowly from her position in front of Trip and walked over to her bed. She climbed in a motioned for him to join her. Trip simply shook his head and removed his jeans. "Fine, but no funny business." He smirked at her and she simply repressed the urge to roll her eyes in a very un-Vulcan display.

Trip laid down on his back next to her, being careful not to touch her. He needn't worry too much since she rested her head on his chest and draped an arm over his stomach. "Good night Trip."

He nodded sleepily, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Good night Darlin'."

They both drifted off into sleep with contented expressions on their faces.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Trip awoke to the ship rocking beneath him. T'Pol jolted awake as well and they both made quick work of their uniforms. Trip had been sleeping in her quarters every night for two weeks and had since moved a few of his uniforms into her closet just in case he needed to get dressed quickly. They ran out of her room and into the corridor. Trip turned and ran towards engineering and T'Pol ran towards the turbolift to take her to the bridge.

Trip ran as fast has his feet could take him. The ship rocked yet again and Trip stumbled into a wall. He regained his balance and burst into engineering. "Hess, report!"

Janet stuck out her head, grease smudged on her cheeks. "Not good boss. Apparently we're being shot at, they've already taken out the deck plating on C Deck, primary intake manifolds are working past capacity, and warp drive is down. Life support is still holding but it won't last forever. I don't know how much more of this we can handle."

Trip nodded and swayed as the ship was once again hit by a volley of enemy fire. He prayed to whatever deity there was that this ship didn't explode, at least not while he was still on board.

* * *

"Target their engines and fire!"

Jon held tight onto the arms of his command chair as Travis took the ship through some evasive choreography. The soft rumble of torpedoes launching told Jon that Malcolm had indeed heard him and followed his orders. The Maracan cruiser firing at them took a hit to their engines. "Captain, their engines have been disabled." T'Pol reported from her science station. The sound of crackling suddenly emitted from it and she moved quickly away from it before it exploded. She had been so preoccupied with her science console exploding that the blast from the display screens behind her caught her off guard. The explosion hit her square in the back and sent her tumbling forwards.

The painful _thud_ of T'Pol hitting the deck plating was met with yet another volley of enemy fire. Jon rushed over to T'Pol's crumpled form and shouted his orders to Malcolm. "I don't care what you have to do, get them to stop firing at us!" He looked over at Hoshi, a silent question on his face. "Phlox has already been alerted and a medical team is on the way." Jon nodded and looked back down at the bleeding and damaged body of his first officer. If she died he didn't know what he would do. She was his rock in all of this. Trip would probably lose it too, Jon had noticed that they spent a lot of time together, he'd heard the rumors. If T'Pol died, Jon would lose both of his best friends.

The emergency medical team exited the turbolift and rushed over to T'Pol, they gently lifted her onto a stretcher and whisked her away. Jon watched them go and then turned and stared at the puddle of green blood on the floor beneath his feet. He stood there for several moments looking at the blood of his best friend before he realized they weren't being fired upon anymore. Jon turned to Malcolm. "Report."

"Sir, the Maracan ship has been destroyed." Malcolm looked relieved.

Hoshi piped up. "Reports are coming in from throughout the ship. Hull breaches on C and D Decks, thirteen wounded, three critical, no fatalities. Warp and Impulse drives are both down. Damage control teams are en route to the breaches. We're immobilized, sir."

Jon sat in his chair gently, unable to remember when exactly he received a cut to his left leg. "Who are the critically wounded?"

Hoshi typed on her console. "Ensign Barrens and Commanders Tucker and T'Pol."

"Damn." Trip was needed to lead the repair teams but if he was injured that left- "Archer to Lieutenant Hess." Jon lifted his finger from the depressed comm button.

The crackling voice of Janet Hess came through moments later. _"Hess here sir." _He could hear the whining of the engine and the roaring of fires. She definitely had her hands full in engineering.

"How are things down there?" He desperately needed to know how long he had until the repairs were done. If another Maracan ship dropped out of warp and decided to finish what his buddies started _Enterprise _was done for. The trade disputes on their world had already followed them many lightyears away, now they were sitting ducks in the debris of a battle with a trade vessel that was surely going to be missed soon.

_"It's hard to tell sir. Right now we're trying to contain the fires. Commander Tucker took quite a tumble when the EPS conduits exploded. Hopefully when he's back from sickbay the fire will be out and the hull breaches on C and D will be done. I estimate another three hours until those breaches are properly sealed, at least internally. We need to send teams in EV suits to seal the breaches from the outside as well, otherwise we run the risk of micro-fractures during warp and that could compromise the stability of our warp bubble. Life support and weapons are still at nominal."_

"Keep at it, there's no telling how long Trip is going to be in sickbay, you're in charge until he is released."

_"Understood sir."_

* * *

_Three Days Later_

"The hull breaches have been sealed and everything is gettin' back into shape." Trip adjusted his grip on T'Pol's hand. "Once you're up and about you can inspect all of the repairs and point out where I've messed up." He smiled. T'Pol had been unconscious for three days and after he had woken up on the first day he jumped right into work. He didn't know that T'Pol was in sickbay, no one told him. He returned to her quarters that night and began cleaning them up. He expected her to join him after his shift ended but she never returned. He searched for her biosign and found it in sickbay. He didn't even stop to think about what it would look like. He ran to sickbay, frantically searching for her. Phlox caught sight of him and gently approached him. After Phlox took him to T'Pol's biobed and explained her head injury Trip had only left her side for his duty shifts. He had slept the last two nights at her side and had eaten what meals he took in sickbay.

Jon walked in and saw Trip at his usual place next to T'Pol's bed. He didn't know what exactly was going on between his two friends but he was determined to be happy for them. Trip looked up when he noticed Jon standing on the other side of the bed. "Cap'n?"

Jon sat down in the available chair. "How is she?" Jon looked down to her face and Trip followed his gaze.

"Well, Doc says the brain waves are showing signs of improvement. He says maybe a few more days and she'll be right as rain. Her back is healed up nicely, we're just waitin' for her to decide to wake up." He smiled affectionately towards her. "You know how stubborn she is, she'll do it on her own time." Trip chuckled and Jon smiled.

Jon was watching Trip closely. He couldn't help but feel a little left out of whatever was going on between them. "You're right, she never did do anything we asked her to. She always was pretty stubborn." He laughed.

Trip grinned. "Well, she _is_ Vulcan. I'd bet my last credit that her whole species is like that."

"If you are attempting to bait her out of her coma by insulting her, it won't work." They both turned to see a smiling Phlox watching them.

Trip shrugged. "Who says we were trying to insult her, we were just being observant. She'd probably appreciate that." All three men chuckled.

Phlox smiled even bigger. "I highly doubt that." Phlox moved forward and scanned the readouts from her monitoring equipment. "However, it would seem your presence has done her some good. She has continued to improve faster than I first predicted. I would say that we can attempt to wake her tomorrow."

Trip beamed and smiled down at T'Pol. "You hear that? You're gonna be up and about, bickerin' with me in no time."

Phlox smiled a big smile. "Yes well, perhaps bickering will have to wait, hmm? Now if you excuse me I have to see to my student."

Jon wrinkled his brow. "Student Phlox?"

Phlox smiled at him and shrugged. "Corporal Cole is a trained physicians assistant and currently serves as the MACO paramedic. She simply expressed a desire to further her medical knowledge. Apparently she was supposed to be in medical school before being recalled for this mission."

Trip could feel his face turning red. Amanda still made it quite clear that she thought Trip was a worthy pursuit, even after T'Pol bruised her up. Maybe she'll take the hint and leave them alone. He hoped that Phlox could distract her long enough for Trip to figure out just what he and T'Pol were, then Amanda could be dealt with.

Phlox turned to go. "She is a remarkable student. I will be by at the regular time to check on the patient." Trip nodded and watched the doctor go.

Jon looked hopefully to his best friend. A feeling of anticipation and the acceptance of disappointment already at war within him. "So Trip, how about dinner?"

Trip sighed, looked down at T'Pol's unconscious form and then back at Jon. He hadn't really spent much time outside of sickbay in three days, maybe a change of scenery wouldn't be too bad. "Alright Jon, dinner sounds good." Jon's face lit up and Trip almost felt bad for the condition he was about to set. "But only if you don't ask any questions about this." He motioned between himself and T'Pol.

He would be lying if he said he hadn't hoped to get some information out of Trip but he also really wanted to spend a meal with his best friend. He had been neglecting their friendship since the start of this mission. When Trip needed him most he had begun to push him away. In a lot of ways that's why T'Pol was so important to Trip, she was there for him. "Fine Trip, no questions about whatever this is, just dinner and catching up. Deal?"

Trip nodded. "Deal."

* * *

_The Next Day_

The world was slowly coming into focus. The bright lights of sickbay pierced through the heavy fog that blurred her vision and dulled her brain. The first thing she noticed was the pounding ache in her right temple and the second was the comforting warmth of someone's hand in her own. She looked over to the presence she knew would be there when she awoke and suppressed the urge to smile warmly at him.

He smiled at her as if he knew what she had denied herself. "Hey Darlin' ready to wake up? I think you've had more than your share of beauty sleep."

She tried to speak but her throat was very dry and her voice caught painfully in her throat. Trip helped her sit up and then held a cup of water to her lips. She drank thankfully from it and let the refreshing water wash away the last vestiges of her unconscious state. "Indeed. How long have I been in sickbay?"

He set the cup down on the tray by her bed. She noticed a small bowl of Plomeek broth and her stomach reminded her that she had in fact been unconscious for some time and would be in need of food. He turned to her. "Four days." She looked at him letting this information sink in. Her internal clock had been thrown off by her head injury but she did feel as though several days had passed. "We were worried about you for the first day or so but you're too stubborn to give up." He smiled at her.

She squeezed his hand. "Stubborn? Perhaps I am just not ready to let you take over my duties as First Officer." Trip laughed and she felt an unexpected warmth brush hr cheeks. Was she blushing? Why did he have this affect on her?

"Well whatever it is I'm glad you're alright." He cupped the side of her face before dropping his hand again. He suddenly seemed uncertain about himself and his actions. He made to pull his hand out hers but she held tight.

She felt guilty about his reaction. Of course she was at fault for his confusion about what they were to each other. How could she possibly tell him that she loved him when she herself wasn't sure what that even meant? How could she explain that she had panicked after their one night together? That it wasn't some experiment and that her excuse sounded lame even to her ears? Why had he believed her? Then she remembered that he had just accepted it, he hadn't fought it. Maybe he didn't feel anything for her after all. Maybe he was grateful for the excuse she used. Maybe he would rather be with Corporal Cole. They seemed to have so much in common, he had even confided in her. No. That wasn't it at all. He had trusted T'Pol with the most wounded parts of himself. He cared for her, she knew that. His presence now, his fear and confusion, even his sadness, was all proof that he did in fact feel something for her.

She looked up into his eyes, blue orbs filled with unshed tears and questions she wasn't quite ready to answer. "Trip, please do not go. Do not leave me." She hoped that he would understand what she really meant by this. She wasn't asking him to just stay with her today, to not leave her bedside. She was asking him to stay with her always. To never leave her again. She hoped that everything she felt for him, all the love and joy, was properly expressed in those two sentences.

He looked back at her, realization slowly crept across his face and he smiled sweetly at her. "Of course T'Pol, I won't leave. I'm not going anywhere." Trip sat back down and contentedly related the events of the last few days to T'Pol. He couldn't help but feel like today, this moment, was a new beginning for him. A new beginning for them.


	3. Point of Convergence Part 1

_Author's Note: This story is just a multipart story. I was thinking: what if the two _Enterprises_ were still thrown back in time? Now you have two ships a hundred years in the past hoping to save earth. What would happen? What would that look like? As this story progresses, the missions discussed will be vignettes separating the parts._

Story Three: Point of Convergence- Part One

The vortex seemed to be vibrating all around them. Each passing microsecond a chance of being torn apart by the turbulence or of being flung countless years into the past. T'Pol studiously examined her console, monitoring the two ships progress through the vortex. The readings she was receiving caused a faint trickle of worry to cross her mind. Both of the _Enterprises_ had taken damage so it was entirely possible that the vortex would indeed be destabilized all over again. Her thoughts momentarily turned to the man on the other ship that called her Mother. She could only hope that he and his crew were safe and that they would, on the other side of the vortex, see each other again.

Before joining the crew of _Enterprise _she had never wasted time on hoping for things. Hope was illogical and was not based in science. Vulcan's, as she had frequently told Commander Tucker, did not hope. However, she found herself doing it more often than she liked to think about. That fact was no doubt the fault of the same human she had corrected.

Time seemed to pass slowly, each microsecond an eternity. The sensor readings were not hopeful. In fact they seemed to bring about a sense of dread. No amount of hoping would bring them home, she knew that. Looking up, she made eye contact with Captain Archer. One slight shake of the head was all it took to let him know that things were not going well.

He nodded and then faced the helm station. "Keep us steady Travis."

"Aye sir, approximately ten seconds of travel left."

Archer turned to Hoshi. "Lorian's ship?"

Hoshi looked up from her console. "They're still out there sir. They took heavy damage but they are still with us."

When _Enterprise_ finally emerged from the vortex it took only moments to confirm what T'Pol suspected, they were indeed in the wrong time. Lorian's _Enterprise_ emerged minutes later and immediately hailed them.

Lorian's stern face filled the screen, a faint line of green blood rolling down his forehead. "Captain," he began without greeting from Archer. "I'm sure you've already confirmed that we've travelled back in time."

Captain Archer nodded his head solemnly. "We need to begin thinking about what we are going to do now that we're here. We'll be looking to you and your ancestors for guidance." Despite the fear that was gradually growing in the pit of his stomach he knew that waiting around and twiddling his thumbs wouldn't serve any purpose. He needed to start acting now, getting his crew settled, his ship fixed, and his mission back on track.

Lorian nodded. "Of course. Perhaps we should meet and decide how to proceed from here?" The image of the other bridge wavered for a second. The damage to the ships was affecting communications, they needed to get started on repairs as soon as possible.

Archer agreed. "First repairs need to be started and then we can meet on whichever ship is least damaged." He was hard pressed to decide which that would be but he was betting on his own, if only because it wasn't as old.

Lorian apparently held the same belief. "That would appear to be your ship at the moment Captain. I'll get my engineers on repairs immediately."

"See you soon." Hoshi closed the channel to Lorian's _Enterprise._ Archer sat down in his chair with a deep exhale. He could already feel the weight of the entire ship on his shoulders. He knew they were a resilient group of individuals but he still felt a deep sadness for them. He pressed a button on the arm of his chair and opened a channel to engineering. "Archer to Commander Tucker."

A loud roaring sound filled the bridge. "Tucker here sir."

Archer winced at the background sound. He didn't envy Trip his job. "How are we looking down there?" He prepared himself for the bad news. It didn't exactly sound like things were going well.

It took a few moments for Trip to respond, everyone on the bridge could hear the faint sound of him yelling to someone in the background. He finally turned his attention back to the comm. unit, his voice slightly hoarse from smoke inhalation. "Well we've had better days Cap'n. I could use some help down here if you can spare T'Pol and her team." Archer looked over and saw that T'Pol was already moving towards the turbolift.

"She's on her way. Keep me updated, Archer out."

The corridor was littered with debris and smoke. Each breath filled with acidic pain, each step a potential danger, and every turn could lead to a dead end. T'Pol silently led her team towards Engineering. She forced the dread that threatened to overwhelm her to the back of her mind. She hoped her mate was not injured.

_This man is not your mate_. She reminded herself.

Another voice broke through her thoughts. _That is not true, you know this. It is illogical to deny the truth__._

T'Pol ignored this voice. It was illogical to talk to oneself. It was a sign of mental illness. The other voice seemed to have little patience for her. _Even if you deny him as a mate, he is still a friend. He is still important to you._

She could not deny the logic of the other voice no matter how disconcerting the logic. What bothered her more was that the voice sounded like her mother. Long had they argued about logic. _Perhaps a brain scan is in order, the Trellium addiction may be affecting me again._ No other voice chimed in to dissuade her from this course of action.

Engineering lay ahead of them, the door stood open letting smoke and a cacophony of disturbing sounds to escape. They entered the department and she sought out the familiar face of Commander Tucker. He was standing over a console, face smeared with black soot, uniform singed and ripped, his hair stained by the thick smoke.

He yelled over the sounds of overtaxed machinery and alarms. "Alright Johnson, try it now." A few seconds later one of the more obnoxious alarms silenced. "Great. Now get to work on the EPS conduits." He turned around and caught sight of T'Pol. "Well, aren't you a dream come true?" She raised an eyebrow at his comment but he brushed past her. "Ok, I need two of your guys to head to the Damage Control team on C-Deck. They are trying to restore life support to full. I need another two to help out Malcolm's boys in the armory. The targeting array is out of commission." He looked to her expectantly.

She quickly dispatched Hawkins and El-Fayyad to the Armory and sent Gomez and Partnov to C-Deck. "Anything else you need?" Her team was busy and she was now in need of a job. He looked around, his tongue moving around in his cheek as he thought. That physical tick of his had often proved distracting to her during their meditation and neuro-pressure lessons.

The sound of his voice drew her attention from his cheek back to what he was saying. "Well, I figure that the Cap'n will want you and me to work on the warp drive and to coordinate things." He started moving toward the hatch that led to the turbolift. "Also, he called me just before you got here and told me that Lorian and Karyn were on their way over and that he wanted us present for the meet and greet. I'm leaving Hess here in charge of keeping things going while we're away. Hopefully this meeting won't be too long. Then we can get back and get this bucket of bolts back in shape."

They made it to the lift and instead of heading for the transporter as she expected Trip took them directly to the ready room for the meeting. "Are we not going to greet them at the transporter?"

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Nah, I wanna get my damage report set up for the Cap'n before they arrive. Besides, I want to make sure the place is in one piece before we get started. I figured you could get started on a list of suggestions for the Cap'n as well." Again T'Pol found herself surprised by his foresight and logic. The thought of this human being her mate was not as dissatisfying as she had previously led herself to believe.

"A well thought out plan Commander. We should stop by the Science department and grab several PADDS. I would also like to grab a small med kit."

Trip turned to her. "Are you hurt?" His concern for her was almost palpable. He stopped, grabbing her arm to halt her progress, and looked her over.

She allowed him a moment of examination. "I am not injured. However, when Lorian messaged I observed a head laceration. Given our own reticence to receive medical care unless unavoidable it is only logical to assume he would also go without medical care. I wish to treat his head wound when he arrives." She finally realized that he was still holding her arm.

Trip realized this at the same time and slowly removed the offending appendage from her person. "So, Mama T'Pol is gonna force Lorian to sit still while she treats his head wound?" T'Pol raised an eyebrow at the misnomer. "I guess you're right. He is definitely our son and we aren't the best examples when it comes to being injured on duty." He chuckled and they once again headed towards the Science department. "Heck, once I fractured my left foot and still managed to pull a double shift before the pain made me pass out."

The soft _swish_ of the ready room doors was nearly drowned out by the sound of welding. Sparks flew from wall panels, small fireworks filling the corridor with flashes of light. Lorian stepped through the threshold and saw his parents already occupied the room. Together they were rearranging the room which had taken some minor damage during their small battle and subsequent journey through the vortex. The table was still covered in a thin layer of debris and all but two chairs had already been righted. They looked up when the doors opened and signaled that they knew they were no longer alone.

Lorian stepped forward, creating enough room for the others to follow him through. They all began taking places around the room. "Father, Mother, do you require assistance?" T'Pol finished placing the last seat and moved towards a small med kit on the table in front of her.

Trip approached him and clasped him on the upper arm and shook his hand. "No thanks son, but it looks like you could use some help." He motioned to Lorian's forehead which was still bleeding slightly.

Lorian's brow wrinkled painfully and he suppressed a wince. "I am not in need of medical attention." He could see however that it was useless to fight them. He allowed his father to lead him to a seat and his mother began treating his head wound. "Thank you Mother. It is pleasing to see that you are uninjured."

T'Pol focused on the small head wound as she answered him. "It is also pleasing to see you, though your injury is displeasing. Your father was concerned." Trip smirked at her misdirection. She wasn't wrong, he was concerned, but he wasn't until _after_ she told him. Lorian glanced over at his father and a silent understanding passed between them.

Jon followed Lorian and Karyn into the ready room. He couldn't wait until his ship stopped smelling like smoke and solder. He was surprised to see that Trip and T'Pol were already there setting everything to rights. Hoshi and Malcolm followed him and took their seats. He turned to Karyn and wrapped her in the hug he had been waiting to give her. Travis joined them almost immediately.

Jon rejoined to conversation that was taking place between the three other people in the room. "Your father was concerned." Jon looked over and could see Trip was smirking and he definitely didn't miss the silent communication between him and Lorian. Jon shook his head.

Once Lorian was looked after and Karyn was equally asked after the debrief was underway. Jon stood at the end of the table, never comfortable with being idle.

"We already know our situation as far as where we are in time. We know we can't go back to Earth or Vulcan." He looked around the table. "What we need to know is the status of the ships, our supplies, repair schedules, list of allies, trade routes, relationship we can use and build."

T'Pol looked up from the PADD she had been writing on. "We should also consider establishing a permanent settlement. It is unlikely that the older _Enterprise_ will last yet another 100 years."

Karyn shook her head sadly. "She's right. When you were first thrown back in time you attempted to do so. You were unsuccessful and decided to remain on the ship."

Travis leaned forward, suddenly quite interested. "Why? What happened?"

"Perhaps that is a story for another time." Lorian looked to Jon. "Captain we need to focus on what we are going to do now. I will provide you with the coordinates of the planet you were unable to colonize. I will also provide you with a complete copy of our memory banks. You can look through all relevant data."

"Thank you. T'Pol, you and Hoshi will need to comb through all of that information. I want you to get me a list of everything you think I need to know." Both women nodded, T'Pol wrote something down on her PADD. Jon turned his attention to Malcolm. "How are the sensors and weapons systems?"

Ever the consummate officer Malcolm sat up straight as a board. "Sensors systems are being repaired as we speak sir. Weapons are still inoperable but Damage Control teams have been dispatched. I think we should have sensors within the day and weapons should be online in the next day or so."

Trip knew that the next question was for him so he just ran his hand over the back of his neck and dove right in. "We have hull plating back on and up to 45% last time I checked. Lifesupport should be at nominal, T'Pol and I had people on that immediately. We have hull breeches on multiple decks, weapons systems to repair, and an entire EPS system that needs replacing." He sighed and sat forward. "Engines aren't completely down but they need some serious TLC. I don't think we should go above impulse for at least three days. It's gonna take some time."

Jon sat down, taking it all in. "T'Pol?"

She sat up straighter, looked first to Trip and then down at her PADD. "I have a list of suggestions Captain that I will pass on to you. I also have the personnel report." She looked down at the PADD again and began reading. "Thirteen minor injuries, four serious, no critical. No casualties reported, all personnel are accounted for sir." She raised an eyebrow. "However, it would seem that Porthos escaped from your quarters again and was found in the galley." She looked up, humor only apparent in her eyes. "It would seem that Chef will be requesting cheese in the near future."

Everyone chuckled and even Lorian managed a small smile. Jon leaned forward in his seat, palms rested on the top of the table, a smile playing on his lips. "Thank you for your report. Hoshi, T'Pol once we have the memory bank from the other _Enterprise_ I want you two to begin working on that. Until then, T'Pol, you and Trip continue working on repairs. I want status updates every hour. Hoshi, work with the communications officer on the other ship, see if we can map out the best course for resupply. Travis, find us a safe place to do repairs, coordinate with Karyn. Malcolm, I want you to get those weapons systems up as soon as possible. Any other suggestions Lorian?" The older man shook his head. "Okay. Dismissed."

The hours passed by slowly, each minute bringing another problem to be solved before they could start the official clean up. Damage Control teams sealed the hull breaches first and then worked their way through each deck, removing debris, doing cosmetic touch ups, and evaluating systems in need of repair or calibration. After two days of strenuous repair work both _Enterprise_s were finally able to make their way to the dwarf planet A-459C. Travis and Karyn put both ships in high orbit while the rest of the crews prepared for a future in the past.

Once Engineering was no longer at risk of blowing up Trip joined Hoshi and T'Pol in the stellar cartography room and began going through the other _Enterprise'_s databanks. They started at the very beginning, learning about the mistakes, the hardships, and the successes that their alternate selves had made. Marriage and birth records were placed to the side and mission reports were thoroughly combed through.

Two days into the research Trip and T'Pol were going over repair schedules, requisition lists, and finalizing official reports in the mess hall. Hoshi entered and searched the mess hall for them. She spotted them at a small square table in the back of the room. She could only hope that she wasn't interrupting something personal. Grabbing a tray, she loaded it with salad, a glass of iced tea, and a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and then headed their way.

"Mind if I join you?" Two pairs of eyes turned to her at the sound of her voice. T'Pol put down her PADD and motioned to the chair on the side of the table. She sat down, settled in and began to eat. They both turned back to their work and ate in silence for a few minutes.

Trip put down his PADD and looked at T'Pol. She raised her gaze from her own work and raised an eyebrow in silent query. He exhaled loudly, shook his head, and then returned to his work. It was only a few moments before he looked up again. "What is it? You have looked at me twice in the last three minutes. There is clearly something on your mind. What is it?"

"Well, it's just that I found something in our personal records." He glanced over at Hoshi who looked down, pretending to ignore what he was saying. "It's just, well I never looked at our personal records because well, if I wanted to know something I could just ask Lorian." He sighed. "Hoshi, it's alright. If I didn't want you to know I wouldn't have brought it up here. I would have waited until later." She looked up, blushing slightly but glad to have permission to listen. Trip looked at T'Pol, his face heavy with emotion. She placed her PADD down, giving him her full attention. "Right, well I assume you also ignored our personal records."

"Of course, I needed only speak with the alternate version of myself or with our son. I saw no reason to read the personal records of our alternate selves. I also assumed that we would not be trapped in the past and that any decisions they made would no longer be options for us." The underlying message there being that if they were never trapped in the past she would probably have pushed Trip away by now.

"Well, I thought, 'hey why not look now? Couldn't hurt.' But I was wrong." He looked down at the PADD, reading the information he wanted to share. "We have three children on file, not one. Lorian isn't even the eldest." T'Pol took the PADD from him.

"We had another son and a daughter." T'Pol scrolled down. "'Daughter, Charlotte T'Mir Tucker, born January 4, 2072. Brown hair, green eyes. Six pounds, ten ounces. Son, Lorian Malcolm Tucker, born August 18, 2078. Brown hair, blue eyes. Four pounds, six ounces.'" T'Pol swallowed, glanced up at Trip and then back down. Her voice was quiet and even, completely devoid of emotion. "'Baby Boy Tucker, born March 27, 2079. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Two pounds even. Premature stillborn. Note: Parents indicate name to be given as Solan.'" Hoshi blinked away tears and she could see Trip struggling with his own emotions. T'Pol scrolled through the PADD looking for something. When she finally spoke again her voice was quite, her own battle to control her emotions taking its toll. "'Charlotte T'Mir Tucker, born January 4, 2072 died December 24, 2093. Age 21.' It doesn't say how she died. She was… very young."

Trip nodded silently. He choked out the next sentence. "I've already tagged the report from that day. We can read it, find out what happened. I… I was already gone by then but you… well, you recorded something on it, so did Lorian." He took the PADD from her, typed in a command and gave it back to her.

T'Pol looked at the PADD in her had as if it were burning her. "Perhaps another time." She locked eyes with Trip. A conversation passed between them, no words necessary. Hoshi was amazed to see the genuine emotion in T'Pol's eyes and even more surprised that when Trip reached for her hand in a sign of comfort T'Pol didn't stop him.

Hoshi suddenly felt like she was intruding and just as she was getting ready to leave the table Trip turned to her, his easy smile already on his lips. "Sorry if we were getting too serious for ya. Did you learn anything new from the records?"

She relaxed slightly in her seat and smiled. "Actually I did, that's why I wanted to sit with you. Remember in the meeting when Karyn mentioned a failed colonial mission?" They both indicated they did. "Well, I found the mission log. At first I thought it was a story, a fictional story I had stumbled upon. It reminded me of a short story I read once, 'Dark they were, and Golden-eyed.' Then I remembered when the Captain, Malcolm, and I were transformed into aliens."

Trip was suddenly very interested in what Hoshi had discovered. "Well? Can we read the log?"

"What log?" Trip looked over and saw both Travis and Malcolm waiting to join them. He made room and motioned them to sit.

"Hoshi found the log about our failed colonial mission." Trip caught them up and then turned to Hoshi. "So, tell us, what happened?"


	4. Dark they were, and Golden-eyed

Story Four: Dark they were, and Golden-eyed

The lazy little green planet floated peacefully in the bottom half of the shuttle pods viewport. Trip leaned forward to get a better look and brushed up against T'Pol ever so slightly. She didn't say anything about it so he assumed the contact wasn't unwanted, even in the presence of others. Captain Archer had sent the away team to the planet to determine if a settlement there would be a plausible option. _Enterprise_ wasn't built to run forever and holding a growing crew for one hundred years at full power for 24-hours a day just didn't seem possible. Having a main colony and staging ground for the crew and having only a skeleton crew on the ship to monitor things seemed like a good idea to Trip and the rest of the senior staff.

Ensign Travis Mayweather disrupted the contemplative silence that had fallen over the small craft. "T-minus five minutes until we enter the upper atmosphere."

T'Pol, hands flying over the co-pilot console, chimed in as well. "I have located the most appropriate landing zone. The western continent, longitude 34.5, latitude 8.479. There is a small valley surrounded on three sides by foothills. Initial scans show evidence of water, vegetation, and wildlife. There are also signs of previous sentient life. Ruins in the valley may give us a better understanding of what happened to the previous inhabitants." Travis began inputting the coordinates into the pilot's console.

Lieutenant Reed stood unsteadily and moved to the back of the pod where he pulled out phase pistols from a chrome case. "We better take these just in case." He handed each of the other four a phase pistol. Phlox took his gingerly and carefully placed it in his holster.

T'Pol simply looked at the offered weapon with a raised eyebrow. "Lieutenant we have detected no signs of hostile life forms and all wildlife we have detected are small animals, the largest around the size of Captain Archer's beagle."

Reed persisted until she finally grabbed the weapon. Trip smiled at her as he put away his own weapon. "Better safe than sorry, Darlin'." That earned him a raised eyebrow of his own but she didn't say anything further. The rest of the trip down to the valley was made in silence. Each of the five was silently holding on to different hopes for this planet.

_Three Hours Later_

"Sure is beautiful down here." Phlox turned and smiled brightly at Travis who had just made the observation.

"Indeed it is Ensign. Perhaps this is the ideal place for us to settle down, hmmm? I know I am partial to standing on solid ground for a little while, I can only imagine the same applies to the rest of the crew." Phlox looked at him with mild curiosity. "How about you Ensign? You have spent most of your life in space, does living on a planet appeal to you?"

"Well, to tell you the truth Doctor I haven't really thought about it. I'm a Boomer but knowing that I will most likely live and die in space seems lonelier than it did before." He let out a deep breath. "Maybe I want to settle down…. to a point, have somewhere to go home to, but I don't think I want to live on a planet for the rest of my life." He looked out at the small pool of water that lay before them with mixed emotions.

Phlox looked at him and smiled warmly and then turned and looked out at the lake. "I understand what you mean Ensign. Ah, can I call you Travis? It would seem that sticking to ranks as names isn't quite feasible anymore."

Travis smiled. "Of course, Doctor."

Phlox chuckled, "Please, call me Phlox. Soon Amanda Cole will also be qualified enough to go by doctor. Wouldn't want to confuse anybody, hmmm?"

Travis laughed too. "No, I guess not."

* * *

Trip and T'Pol walked silently through the vegetation near the base of the eastern foothill. The ruins of what appeared to be a villa were their destination. The fresh air breezed past T'Pol's face and she inhaled the flowery scent as they ascended the base of the foothill. The air smelled of flowers and copper, mixing to give an unnerving scent of blood and beauty. T'Pol pushed the image of blood from her mind and focused on the flowers. The small cerulean buds that littered the ground were similar in aesthetics to the Lavender flower but in scent they brought to mind sunflowers and Chamomile tea. "There are several settlements on the planet, most of them large enough to hold the population of Utopia Colony on Mars. However, there is one large settlement in the north of this continent that is relatively the same size of Shi'Kar."

Trip followed her up obediently, nodding along as she filled him in on the important facts of the planet. He also fought hard to keep his eyes on where he was putting his feet and not on his wife's posterior. That was no easy task. His breathing was only slightly labored as they made their way ever closer to the top. "So, does that mean this was a colonial planet? If there are only a few settlements, and none of them very large, maybe this planet was once a colony for another species, just like we are thinking about making it."

T'Pol nodded imperceptibly. "Perhaps, but if this is the case, then what caused them to abandon their colony?" She looked back at him. "That is something we need to uncover while we are here." The villa unfolded before them revealing the beautiful alien architecture. The structure gleamed blue in the sunlight, polished marble-like stone reflecting the heat of the day, giving the look of a cool interior. Triple arched windows and entryways brought to Trip's mind the Middle-Eastern architecture his sister Lizzie had once shown him.

They cautiously made their way into the villa, scanners at the ready, and Trip's hand hovering near his phase pistol.

"No sign of life. So far, so good Darlin'." After twenty minutes of exploring the bottom floor of the three-story building Trip was relaxing. The entryway opened into two wings, on the left was a large room with the remains of a stone table and benches, the open doorway led into a smaller room probably used in the same fashion as a living room. The rest of the wing was taken up by an aviary. The trees and ferns that once housed the birds had overgrown and overtaken the room. Bird calls were eerily absent; the thick glass windows that extended from the walls of the villa were covered in decades of grime. The entire room was gloomy and gave Trip the creeps. T'Pol simply noted in her log that the inhabitant apparently kept pets within the home and that none of them were present within the villa.

The wing on the right was filled with a lowered pit area, and small adjourning rooms. "The pit appears to have been used in meal preparation." T'Pol looked down at her scanner. "The rooms were most likely for storage. We should continue to the next floor." The stairs were located at the back of the right wing and were enclosed in glass windows that allowed a greenish light to diffuse through. The second floor held six relatively large rooms all of them filled with remains of beds, dressers, and other miscellaneous personal artifacts left by whomever had once lived in the villa.

The third floor was accessed through a set of stairs on the other side of the floor. This one was also encased in glass, causing the whole place to glow green. Again T'Pol was forced to put aside the image of blood that the color invoked. The third floor was completely open. Tables and benches littered the floor, what could have only been books were scattered about or stacked in waist-high piles. Trip moved away from T'Pol and walked about halfway into the room before he spoke. "A library." She nodded in agreement. "Ya think that any of these will explain what happened to them?"

She knelt down and picked one up. "There is only one way to find out. We'll need to get a collection of materials back to _Enterprise_ for examination. Perhaps Ensign Sato will be able to shed some light on the culture and the people who once lived here."

Trip knelt down and grabbed a few books himself, careful not to destroy any of the more fragile looking ones. "Right, we should head back and meet the others. Cap'n should be callin' us soon to check in."

* * *

"Trip it looks like it's going be a while before we get back. I'm sending down a security team just to stay on the safe side. We'll be back in two days max. You should have enough supplies to last that long and it should give you and T'Pol plenty of time to make a decision about this place. We received the package of things from the planet; Hoshi is already working on a translation of the books. We'll let you know what we learn. I look forward to your report. See you in two days Trip." Captain Archer's voice stopped signaling the end of the transmission. Trip turned to the others, each of them waiting for orders.

"Well, I guess we know what to do. Let's get out tents set up, do a little more exploring, and then make dinner. I'm sure we have something for everyone." He looked at T'Pol and she nodded. Vegetarian cuisine was now a staple on the ship because of her and they had even managed to find ration packs that were vegetarian. "Let's get this place ready for our security guests."

_Twenty Minutes Later_

The security team arrived in the second shuttle, gear and crew disembarked and then Ensign Marks returned to the ship. Five years were set up in a circle around a large fire pit. Collapsible chairs were set around the fire and the ten crewmembers took their seats as the indigo hued sky darkened. Once everyone was settled and dusk was upon them Travis began sharing stories. It was an old tradition that had lasted since their first away mission. It seemed the young man was in possession of a plethora of scary or dramatic stories. He could make you laugh and cry, scream and howl all in one sitting.

"It was our first real away mission. The planet was absolutely beautiful. There were fields of flowers stretching for as far as the eye could see. Beautiful mountains to climb and no dangerous beasts to worry about. When we decided to camp on the planet for the night none of us expected it would end the way it did, or that Commander Tucker would become so enraged and crazy that he would shoot at Commander T'Pol." Trip could feel the eyes of the newer transfers to the ship staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

Ensign Riley spoke up voicing the question that was on the mind of al but the five veteran officers. "Did you really shoot Commander T'Pol, sir? Did you shoot your wife?"

Trip sighed and ran his hand across the back of his neck. "Look, it's not as simple as all of that. T'Pol was new on the ship, Vulcan's weren't exactly my favorite people, _and_ Travis failed to mention that we were under the influence of a powerful hallucinogenic pollen that also caused paranoia. Even T'Pol was effected. Imagine being paranoid and having difficulty trusting a Vulcan because you think they are a spy and suddenly they can't speak Standard." He looked to T'Pol and smiled sheepishly. "Besides, she forgave me and that's really all that matters here. Why don't you tell the story of when you were rock climbing and Phlox almost lobotomized you?" Trip smiled smugly at them, noticing the awkwardness shifting from him to them.

"Ensign, if you don't mind, perhaps I shall tell a story?" When Phlox saw that Travis was okay with it he leaned forward. "This story interestingly enough involves my second wife's third husband..."

* * *

Five Days passed and the away team still had not heard from _Enterprise_. Their rations ran out and their camp began to feel insubstantial. Soon it was decided to move base from the camp to the villa that T'Pol and Trip had explored the first day. The rooms were catalogue and cleaned. The remaining furniture righted, and room assignments made. They continued their survey of the area but could not determine what had caused the abandonment of the settlements on the planet. Crops could easily grow and the team had even begun to supplement their diet with edible plants they found near the villa.

The first few days Trip and Malcolm fought feverishly to get a long range subspace communicator working. They used what materiel they had on hand but after a week Malcolm lost interest and joined the others in fixing up the villa. Soon Trip was struggling with remembering Earth. He felt as though he had always been on this planet. The food, the wildlife, the plants all seemed familiar to him. He soon thought of his life on _Enterprise_ as nothing more than a dream. The communicator was forgotten after a month and Trip joined the others at the villa.

It was slow at first, as if he were only noticing the minor details of someones face after seeing them everyday for an extended period. The subtle change in hue of Travis's iris was what first drew his attention. Travis had deep brown eyes, or so Trip thought, but now that he looked they seemed to hold an almost dark purple hue. Malcolm had changed as well. His voice was slightly deeper and his hair had changed tint ever so slightly to a copper. Trip could only see the change when the light hit his hair at just the right angle but it was there none the less.

T'Pol didn't notice anything. She claimed he was being paranoid and he conceded that she could be right. It wasn't until the day he heard he laugh that he doubted her. It was a regular day and it was their turn to gather plants for the evening meal. Trip had pulled to hard on a root tuber and went flying backwards landing bum first in a pile of mud. T'Pol had laughed. Trip had not.

* * *

_Six Months Later_

Jonathan Archer paced the length of the Bridge. He was concerned than when they returned to the planet they would find the bodies of their crew. He didn't want to even think of what that would do to him or crew morale. The only thing keeping them limping towards this planet on half impulse was the hope that they would finally get their people back. He looked to Hoshi who was monitoring subspace communication but she didn't look like she was picking anything up.

If only they had realized early on that the distress cal was a trap. The Ikaaran vessel was in danger but they were used as bait to lure unsuspecting ships to their doom. Luckily _Enterprise_ was able to disable the attacking vessel and rescue the remaining crew. The Ikaarans had integrated well into the crew over the last six months and Jon was grateful. He looked to Asilia who was at the helm and realized just how grateful he was. Without Trip or T'Pol he was left without someone to keep him straight and sane. Asilia had willingly fallen into that role. He made a mental note to ask her to dinner to thank her once this whole thing was over.

Jon looked back to Hoshi and caught her eye. "Anything?" She shook her head sadly. Jon then looked to Lieutenant Rao who was T'Pol 2IC. "Rao? Lifesigns?"

Rao studied the board for a few more moments before looking up. "Yes sir. I'm picking up ten humanoid lifesigns. I am unable to determine species due to atmospheric interference but we should be able to land shuttlepods or transport them out sir."

Jon nodded. "Alert Hess that we need Rostov on the transporter. I want our people back ASAP. Camping supplies can be retrieved later."

* * *

The smell of antiseptic met his nose and he wrinkled it in distaste. He hated that smell. He hated what it meant. He was back in Sickbay. His muddled mind didn't even register how long it had been since he was even on _Enterprise_ but it still knew how much he hated Sickbay. Once he realized that he was no longer on the planet he cracked open his eyes. Sure enough the stark white walls, chirping animals, and tangy antiseptic scent commingled bringing forth a perfect representation of Sickbay. He was worried that he was going crazy until an alien he had never seen before approached him.

"I am healer Sana. How are you feeling Commander?" The alien looked like she could be related to Hoshi if not for the ridge running from her forehead to the middle of her nose. Trip hadn't been called Commander in so long that he almost forgot what it sounded like.

He didn't answer her question, only asked his own. "What happened?"

Captain Archer walked into Sickbay and say his best friend awake. "Trip, how are you? We were pretty worried about you."

Trip looked at his captain and repeated his question. "Well, turns out that the planet was some sort of off planet research base for a species called the Novari. They were botanists mostly but they were doing experiments on birds as well. They engineered the planet to transform any visitors into the natural inhabitants."

His forehead scrunched in confusion. "Like that one planet that turned you and Hoshi into aliens?"

"Exactly. When we finally got to you you were all transformed. Luckily Sana was able to reverse it." He chuckled quietly. "You all had purple and gold eyes, and copper hair. You looked like something out of one of those old Science Fiction Films you're always showing us on movie night."

Trip cracked a grin. "Yeah, I've felt pretty alien over the last few months." Trip sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and looked around. "So Cap'n are you going to tell me what the hell took you so long to come back for us?"


	5. The Day the World Stood Still

The Day the World Stood Still

Malcolm Reed awoke that morning just like every morning before, ready to take on his duties as Chief of Security. He stretched his aging limbs and winced at the cracks and pops that accompanied his morning calisthenics. Breakfast was as it had always been: scrambled eggs, toast, black coffee, one sugar, and a side of mixed fruit. Same thing for breakfast every day for the last twenty years. He couldn't believe it had been over twenty years but as he moved out of the way of two running children he knew it was true. He emerged on the Bridge to see Charlotte at his post. She had begun taking shifts on the Bridge and training as his 2IC shortly after Trip had died. That thought still brought a sharp pain to his chest but he pushed it down and made his way to his neice.

"Anything exciting happen while I slept?" She looked up at his voice, brown curls brushed back into a pony tail, pointed ears sticking out under the locks.

"Nothing. Not even an asteroid." She sighed dramatically, making Malcolm smile. "I guess all of this weapons and security training is wasted. You've rid the universe of all crime and excitement." He chuckled and she smiled at him. "Any chance I have some more trainin' coming my way?" The unusual mix of Trip's laid back and often shortened language and T'Pol's stilted and proper Vulcan equivalent of Earth Standard gave Charlotte an unusual accent and speech pattern. It was completely Tucker, even Lorian spoke that way. Colouful metaphors and slurs mixed in with logic and propriety.

Malcolm mentally checked his training schedule. Charlotte was just about done with her training. She was a quick learner and had reflexes that would put even the fastest Human to shame. She once raced against him in a maneuver and finished a whole three seconds before him. He would have been embarrassed if he wasn't so damn proud. He just wished Trip was there to see it.

"I think you're done with training Charlotte. I want to put in full rotation as a security and tactical officer. I just need the Captain to sign off on it."

She smiled at him and Malcolm was once again reminded of how much she looked like her mother. It was a strange poetry really that Lorian looked so much like his father but acted like his mother while Charlotte was the exact opposite. "I just hope my ko-mekh won't put up a stink about it." She got a faraway look in her eyes, making her look older and wiser than her nineteen years. "I just can't go back to Engineerin'. It- it hurts too much." Malcolm laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry Lotty, I won't make you do anything you can't handle and your mom understands. She just needs some time. Why don't you get some food and some sleep? I'll put in the request with the captain today and we'll get the whole thing settled this week."

She smiled again and relinquished her post to Malcolm. She turned back when she reached the turbolift. "Thanks Uncle Mal."

* * *

Malcolm hit the submit button on his console and sent a silent prayer to the Universe that T'Pol really wouldn't get in the way of Lotty joining the Security Team. Lately she'd been hypercritical of everything that Lotty did. Her grief over the loss of Trip was causing her to damage her relationship with her daughter. Malcolm was sure it was because Lotty reminded everyone so much of Trip. Sometimes it hurt to see how distant the two were growing. The Tucker's used to be a tight knit group. He used to joke with Trip saying that he was living in a sitcom. Trip would just smile and remind Malcolm of his own long-term not-quite marriage relationship with Hoshi.

Malcolm glanced over at the Lieutenant and shook his head. After her husband had died Malcolm had stepped in as de facto spouse and father to Yoshiko and Toru. The fact that Hoshi just wasn't ready to get married again didn't really bother Malcolm. He knew that Hoshi loved him, he knew that Yoshiko and Toru saw him as their father. He had his family, even if it wasn't on any file. Did that really matter? No.

Hoshi felt like someone was staring at her and turned to look at Malcolm. She smiled at him and raised an eyebrow in question. He just winked at her and smirked. She shook her head in amusement.

Malcolm really did love that woman.

* * *

The shuddering of the ship woke Charlotte with a start. Even at her young age she could recognize weapons fire. She was out of bed and into her uniform in a matter of moments. She quickly ran for the turbolift, her mother already waiting at its door. They rode up in silence and exited onto the Bridge. Lotty took her position at the Tactical Console. The ship was hit once again with enemy weapons. "One ship sir, moderate weaponry, no shielding. They have hull plating. I don't recognize the configuration."

T'Pol interjected once Lotty had finished her report. "T'Mir is correct. They pose little threat to us. Their ship appears to be related in configuration to the L'Ralian traders we encounter three months ago."

Malcolm entered the Bridge then and Lotty moved over to the Damage Control Board. Jon nodded and directed his attention to the front of the Bridge. "Evasive maneuvers Travis. Keep us moving. Hoshi hail that ship."

Travis took the _Enterprise _into a barrel roll and kept them just out of weapons range. Hoshi quickly worked the buttons on her console. "Sir, they aren't answering our hails."

The enemy ship came in close again and fired at the saucer section. The whole ship rocked violently. "I thought you said they didn't pose a threat."

T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "I said they posed little threat. They have apparently modified their weapons, increasing their effectiveness."

The Bridge seemed to buckle and the deck plating rolled beneath their feet. Lotty grabbed hold of her console but Malcolm reacted belatedly and fell to the deck. Sparks and paneling flew through the air reeking havoc on the occupants of the Bridge. Lotty made her way to her fallen uncle but saw that he was pinned under a support beam. She stood at the Weapons Console, directing weapons fire at the enemy ship. One well placed torpedo disabled their engines and two more volleys took out their weapons.

"Sir, the enemy vessel has been disabled." Charlotte let a puff of air pass through her lips in relief. She looked down to where her uncle lay and fought back the choking sob that threatened to escape. She knelt down next to him and put the first two fingers of her right hand to his neck. When she didn't find a pulse she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him. "Uncle Malcolm! Mal! Wake up! Please wake up!" She could feel the tears running down her cheeks now. "Please! You can't do this to me too! Please... please... please..."

She could feel the darkness trying to claim her. Everything stilled, as if time had stopped. She could only fight it off long enough to see Hoshi rush over and pull Malcolm into her lap, her own grief apparent on her face. Her mother wrapped her arms around her and soothed her like when she was a small child. The world around her darkened and she drifted off to the comforting words of her mother. "Ka'i ko-fu. Ka'i pi'svai."

_**Note on Vulcan language: all of my Vulcan translations come from /vld/. _

_The translation of what T'Pol whispered to Charlotte: "I'm here daughter. I'm here little flower."_


End file.
